MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown boys’ soccer team and Cabell Midland will meet in a clash of two high-powered offensive teams Friday in Beckley with each team scoring over 70 goals this season.
Morgantown will enter Friday’s Class AAA state semifinal with a record of 14-7 losses. With only 25 goals allowed to opponents this season, coach Sam Snyder and his team will aim to win this game through their defense.
“Cabell is in a lot of ways a mirror image of who we are, so we are looking forward to the game, we know what we need to do,” Snyder said.
Senior captain Caden Carpenter will make his first trip to a state tournament after four years on the team and said everyone is very excited and feeling prepared for the state tournament.
“It feels amazing … the last two years, we were good enough to make it, but we just couldn’t get it done. But here we are now and we have nothing to lose at this point.” Carpenter said. “We are pretty confident and we know their weaknesses. So, as long as we capitalize on that, we should be fine. We have a plan and we just have to execute.”
Despite game plans and confidence being a positive, Snyder mentioned it took a while for he and the team to really find their identity this season.
“It’s not our normal type of style of play,” he said. “We have had to adjust to personnel, that’s high school sports for you. But once we kind of figured out who we are and what our plans are, we were able to play some of the best soccer in the state.”
With Cabell Midland playing a style of soccer that tightens the middle of the field, Snyder will emphasize keeping his team calm and patient as it tries to break down the Knights.
A slower style of play isn’t anything new to Morgantown this season, as seven of its 19 games have included only two goals or less as a combined score. Conversely, both teams have had games in which they scored nine or more goals against their opponents, including MHS earning a 16-0 victory over John Marshall. They are prepared for whatever style of game unfolds.
Cabell Midland enters the matchup with a record of 12-7-1. It is led by senior forward Ryan Holmes, who has scored an incredible tally of 32 goals and seven assists in just 19 games. Despite allowing 15 more goals than that of MHS,
Holmes could be the difference maker in a high-scoring game if the Mohigans are unable to contain him.
Washington and George Washington will play in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the second game between MHS and CMHS, which will kickoff 30 minutes later. It will be live streamed through the NFHS on social media.
Saturday’s championship match will be held 30 minutes after the end of the girls’ championship, which is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
By MICHAEL GRIFFITH
TWEET @dompostsports
